But the number one problem in customer service today isn’t what people are saying — it’s what’s not getting said. This comes down to a lack of honest communication on the part of both customer service reps and their customers.

So how can you achieve honest communication at your organization? Use these three strategies to get the unsaid said in customer service, inside and out:

1. LOOK INTERNAL TO CREATE EXTERNAL.

You’re only as strong externally as you are internally. If you get the unsaid said internally, your customer service reps are more likely to do the same with customers.

When I work with executives, sometimes I hear them say, “I’m worried about telling my employees the full truth about this project or situation.” They usually cite some legal issue when I ask why.

I’m not a lawyer, but I am an expert on human relationships and communication. I can tell you that your employees will eventually find out that you hid something from them — and when they do, they will feel deceived.

In addition, it’s important that your employees get the unsaid said with each other. When your teams aren’t in sync, internal dysfunction will impact overall customer service.

A common example of this is when sales and operations don’t communicate well. Sales might promise delivery times that may not be achievable, and operations can’t follow through. This leads to discord internally and unhappy customers externally.

To get the unsaid said internally, start by embracing honest feedback. When you say, “You can tell me anything,” you must be prepared to embrace the response — whether you like it or not.

If you respond poorly to critical feedback, your employees will stop being honest with you. I’ve seen executives punish employees or even fire them for honest feedback. Others will roll their eyes, get defensive, or change the subject.

This promotes a culture of silence. In turn, your reps will be closed off and likely to tell white lies to customers to avoid conflict.

But it’s not enough just to embrace honest feedback. You must also positively reinforce honesty by actually using the feedback people give you.

That means saying, “Thank you for this feedback. Here’s what I’m going to do as a result of this new information…” This makes the person feel rewarded, and sends a message to others in the organization that when they communicate honestly, things can actually change.

2. LEAVE THE WORDSMITHING BEHIND.

Many customer service reps are coached to hedge their language to sound agreeable. For example, reps are often told to replace “but” with “and” to somehow trick customers into thinking they aren’t saying something negative.

But… if you use “and” instead of “but” as a gimmick, people can still tell your true meaning. Wordsmithing like this breeds mistrust in customers because they can see right through it.

Sometimes reps do verbal gymnastics to leave out key information for fear of alienating customers. As the leader of your organization, it’s up to you to give them permission to be honest and get the unsaid said.

Here’s a common example. A customer asks for a certain solution and the rep replies, “Yes, we can do that for you.” Only it’s not the full truth. In reality, that solution will take over a week to deliver, while the customer expects it by tomorrow.

Instead of being up front and saying, “Yes, we can do that for you…but it’s going to take over a week to solve this,” the rep leaves the customer in the dark on the details and doesn’t even mention the deadline implication.

The result? The customer expects the solution in a day, and when it takes over a week, they feel disappointed and deceived.

When customers feel lied to, they feel unsafe — and they’re more likely to lie right back to the reps. Emotional safety is key to building great customer relationships, so encourage your reps to get the unsaid said by leaving the wordsmithing behind.

3. PREVENT UNINTENDED MESSAGES.

Customer service leaders need to be careful about how and what they communicate, both internally to reps and externally to customers. Unintended messages from leadership can kill trust and discourage honest communication.

I’ll give you a personal example. I was recently on vacation in Europe, where I had booked a room at a five-star hotel. When I arrived, it became clear that the room I was given wasn’t the quality the hotel had promised.

The front desk person tried to fix the situation but ultimately couldn’t. There were no other rooms available. She apologized and agreed to give me a refund.

I left and went to another hotel. A few days later, I called the previous hotel to verify the refund. I spoke with the general manager and explained the situation. He replied, “Actually, we told you that it was non-refundable. You can’t have your money back.” I told him he was mistaken, and that the front desk person said she was going to refund the money.

Still, he wouldn’t budge. After a long debate, he reluctantly said he would do some research and get back to me. I got annoyed and said, “You obviously don’t believe me.” He replied, “I do believe you.” To which I said, “If you did believe me, you wouldn’t be doing the research; you would just refund the money.”

He emailed shortly thereafter, apologized, and gave me a full refund. I doubt that he did any research to confirm my story. What probably happened is he realized the unintended message he conveyed to me, and potentially to others involved in his organization.

The unintended message was that he did not trust me or the front desk person. He didn’t believe his customer, and he didn’t care to seek the truth from his employee — presumably because he wouldn’t believe her, either.

Trust was missing in all directions, making both customers and employees afraid to speak up, tell the truth, and give honest feedback.

Empower your customer service organization. Get the unsaid said by looking internal to create external, leaving the wordsmithing behind, and preventing unintended messages.

The results will lead you down the path to extraordinary customer service and consistent sustained higher growth.

The post The Number #1 Problem In Customer Service appeared first on Steven Gaffney Company.

If sales teams can make conflict advantageous — both inwardly with each other, and outwardly with prospects — they can innovate, collaborate, and grow. The key is to embrace conflict as a healthy part of selling.

Traditionally, we’re taught to fear conflict in sales — to do whatever it takes to avoid bumps in the road. But in reality, only unresolved conflict is bad. Conflict itself is good, and essential to sales.

In over 20 years of working with top sales executives, I’ve never once had someone tell me, “I wish I’d avoided that conflict for a little while longer.” Instead, I frequently hear, “I wish I hadn’t waited so long.”

It’s time to change your view of conflict — and help your salespeople do the same. Here are the top three keys to making conflict advantageous in sales:

1. Create positive debate and borderless ideas through emotional safety.

While salespeople may appear outspoken, many of them aren’t saying what’s really on their minds. They think nothing will change even if they share their true feelings — so what’s the point? There’s also a pervasive fear that speaking up will just lead to more work for them.

As the sales leader, it’s your job to create emotional safety so people feel comfortable speaking up. Many leaders tout, “Tell us the truth, even if it hurts.” But as soon as someone says something confrontational or different, it’s easy to become defensive.

Your reaction to conflict trickles down to every member of the team. One way to prime the pump for emotional safety is to share about your own vulnerabilities and mistakes you’ve made, and how you dealt with them. Ask questions to encourage new ideas and honest feedback, too.

In turn, emotional safety will foster positive debate and the exchange of spontaneous, borderless ideas on your team. Both are essential to innovation in sales. Neither can exist unless people feel comfortable confronting others and challenging the status quo without fear of reprisal.

Positive debate is where people contribute different perspectives to the group instead of simply disagreeing with each other. This is the difference between saying “I disagree with that” and saying “I disagree with that, but what if we looked at it this way instead…” A sales team without positive debate is complacent, rigid, and struggles to act as a cohesive unit.

Spontaneous, borderless ideas are equally important. It’s natural for people to have ideas, but the key is that they’re spontaneous — meaning they can come at any time without fear of being rejected — and borderless — meaning they can cross the border into other people’s “territory” to shed led on blind spots.

We all have blind spots. I laugh when people say, “I know my blind spots,” because if we knew them, then they wouldn’t be blind spots. Borderless ideas shed light on blind spots precisely because they are coming from the outside.

2. Remind people that you can’t solve a problem you don’t know about.

As a sales leader, it’s your job to remind people that you can’t solve a problem you don’t know about. Avoiding conflict only covers up problems and makes them worse. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it’s always better to understand the actual problem so you can try to fix it.

I was recently brought into an organization where the sales team was complaining about their marketing material. The sales leader told me, “The biggest problem my team has right now is that they’re not getting what they need from marketing. That’s what’s holding them back.”

After doing some digging, however, it became clear that the sales team had much bigger issues. While the marketing material might not have been perfect, it wasn’t that bad. As is so often the case, the sales team was just making an excuse to cover up the real problem. In truth, they were upset about their new compensation structure.

By taking his team’s complaints at face value, the sales leader couldn’t see the real issue. Before I came along and dug deeper, he was content thinking the problem wasn’t his fault and that his team was otherwise happy. And, while this made him feel good at the time, it would have ended up costing him in efficiency, productivity, time — and ultimately his top performers.

As for the salespeople, they were happy to tell a little white lie to avoid an unpleasant confrontation with the boss. I hear this all the time: “A little white lie isn’t unethical, and it’s not going to hurt the organization.” But in reality, these tiny cover ups build up over time to create a dishonest culture where nobody tells the truth and no problems get fixed.

The same holds true for prospects. If a prospect makes a comment that doesn’t fully make sense, salespeople need to dig deeper. That means creating intentional conflict instead of simply nodding along to whatever the prospect says — and that can be intimidating. But your sales team will build stronger relationships if they can solve their prospects’ real problems. And they can’t solve those problems unless they know about them.

3. Tell prospects what they don’t know they need.

I understand why this makes sales leaders uncomfortable. Usually, good prospects are handled with kid gloves. Salespeople are taught to tiptoe around their best prospects. Rocking the boat is frowned upon.

But prospects need to be told what they don’t know they need. This can sometimes create conflict — but it’s good conflict. For example, if a prospect asks for a solution that won’t address their needs, your salespeople should feel comfortable suggesting a different approach that will be better

Your salespeople must also be willing to firmly debunk myths, tell prospects when they’ve been misinformed, and push back when prospects act like they have all the answers. The best sales teams are bringing up ideas and solutions that their prospects aren’t even thinking about.

This can sometimes create conflict — but it’s good conflict. Telling prospects what they don’t know they need helps salespeople come across as trusted advisors who understand their prospects’ needs in a way that stands out from the competition.

Cultivate and use conflict to your advantage, and watch as your team performance, sales, and profits surpass the competition.

The post Making Conflict Advantageous In Sales appeared first on Steven Gaffney Company.

Leaders must tackle retention head-on—or pay the price.

If you don’t think retention is a problem at your organization right now, remember: Retention is a lagging indicator. So even if it’s not currently an issue at your company, it will be soon. Here’s why.

Roots of the retention tsunami

The tsunami headed your way is the result of a confluence of economic factors that are making it tougher than ever before to attract and keep talented workers. In particular, this swell of retention problems is being driven by two key factors: a near-full employment rate and today’s thriving job market.

First, consider that the U.S. unemployment rate is currently 4.7 percent—in effect, zero, since most experts agree that number represents the chronically unemployed. What’s more, the number of people filing for unemployment benefits fell to a 44-year low in 2017. This near-full employment rate has created a veritable job-feeding frenzy for well-qualified, talented employees.

Second, due to past complacency around retention, today’s thriving job market has left many companies reeling. In the past, businesses could afford to be complacent—even lazy—about developing and executing a sustainable strategy to attract and retain top talent. The economy was so poor for so long, the need simply wasn’t there: Without many options for other employment, workers were unlikely to leave their jobs. This was true across industries, which all faced a dearth of job opportunities due to poor economy, sequestration, politics, and other factors.

But now, as the economy continues on its upswing, bringing with it a glut of employment opportunities, many organizations are woefully unprepared for the coming retention tsunami.

And today’s thriving job market will only continue to boom. Experts predict continued economic growth in the U.S. in 2017 and beyond, with the GDP growth rate expected to remain between 2% and 3%—contributing to ideal conditions that some economists call a Goldilocks economy. With all this predictable growth, and unemployment at zero, something has got to give.

An all-out talent war is coming. Without a strong retention strategy, companies will lose top performers faster and in greater quantities than they can handle, both operationally and financially.

Buried costs and hidden impact

The stunning reality is this: When an employee leaves, it costs the company at least 1 times that person’s annual salary—and often up to double. The loss of just one worker causes a hidden domino effect of buried costs that directly slam bottom-line profits. And at most organizations, hardly anyone will notice.

While companies spend most of their time worrying about small expenditures at the office, they fail to realize that losing one $75,000-a-year employee could quietly cost them up to $150,000. Consider just a few of the wide-ranging, hidden costs that contribute to this astounding number:

• Damage to team morale and performance
• Lost prospects and customers
• Potential lawsuits
• Lost company and product knowledge
• Overworking of remaining employees
• Lost connections and experience
• Diminished work productivity
• Distraction from key business priorities
• Recruitment of employee replacements
• New-hire training and onboarding
• Management time diverted to new hires

Do the math, and you’ll soon realize that the loss of employees is costing you major revenues—and it’s only going to get worse. Saving just a couple of employees from leaving your company will more than off-set any investment you make in strengthening your retention strategy.

As executives, it’s our job to focus on profits. If you can reduce the number of lost employees by just 1% or 2%, that’s a major cost savings for your organization. This is precisely why retention isn’t an issue to be relegated to just HR. Instead, it’s an executive, strategic issue that’s critical to your company’s growth.

So, what’s the key to protecting your bottom line? Hint: It’s not salary and benefits.

The great myth—and the actual truth

The most common myth about retention is that salary and benefits are the top reasons why good employees leave their jobs. But the data doesn’t lie: While 89% of employers believe that employees leave their jobs for more money, only 12% of workers actually quit over salary, according to a Gallup study.

In fact, salary is shockingly low on the list when it comes to the actual reasons why employees quit. In a retention survey published by Inc. magazine, salary didn’t even make the top five deal-breakers for employees. Number one? Lack of trust from a boss.

Meanwhile, a recent Forbes report (aptly called “The Real Reason Good Employees Quit”) stated that one of the biggest problems in the workplace is that an “invisible, impermeable wall can build up between what employees would love to say and what the leadership team can’t stand to hear.” A LinkedIn article echoed this idea when it listed lack of communication as the number one reason why employees “quit their bosses.”

Communication between leadership and employees is the key to retention, which is essentially the glue that attracts and keeps the best workers at your company. I’ve been saying for years that top performers leave their jobs due to issues that can be completely solved by open, honest communication.

In today’s current economic environment, this fact of life is increasingly critical for every company to recognize—or ignore at their own peril.

Reboot your retention strategy: The Seven Keys

As we discussed earlier, executives and leaders must fully own the issue of retention—not just delegate it to HR. In fact, everyone in the organization needs to be involved in strategizing and executing a successful retention strategy. The best way to make this a reality at your organization is to hit reboot on your retention strategy.

Think of this approach as turning your computer off and then on again. This reboot keeps the foundation intact but clears away all the junk to re-prioritize your efforts.

Keep in mind that rebooting your retention strategy is all about preventive action. After all, preventive action is always easier and less costly than corrective action. And besides, retention is a lagging indicator, so it must be dealt with proactively.

Reboot your retention strategy by following the seven keys illustrated in the diagram below. Together, these seven critical components establish a work environment that attracts top performers—and keeps top employees at your company:

1. Apply the glue.
   The glue that keeps employees at your company is their understanding of the company’s mission, and the love they feel for the organization’s purpose. When the heart of your company isn’t clear, it’s difficult for employees to feel that passion—and they’re more likely to walk away.To “apply the glue” successfully, you must first clarify the heart and soul of your company: What are you about? Why do you exist? Many people lose track of the answers to these vital questions, and so they lose sight of what keeps good employees around.Don’t merely repeat your mission statement or talk about the surface-level purpose of your company. Instead, aim to “beam” the heart and soul of your company into everything you do, and everything you ask your employees to do. Embody the heart and soul of your company with every action, request, project, and initiative at your organization.I recently worked with a top executive at a multi-billion-dollar business. He was spending most of his time making sure operations were running smoothly and correctly. But he never spent any time sharing the mission of his company in a simple, clear way. As a result, none of his employees understood why their work was important. Once he refined the message of his business, he was able to share the heart of his company with his employees. His fellow company leaders did the same. This created the necessary passion throughout the organization—the glue that made his best employees stick around.

 

2. Focus and execute on your top 3 priorities: employee, employee, employee.
   This is about having a culture where employees come first. Many organizations say their employees are their best assets. But very few treat them accordingly. If you don’t treat your employees just as well as you treat your customers, what message are you sending?Marriott, the number one hotel chain in the world, offers a great showcase for how to do this. Marriott was founded on the principle that if you take care of your employees, you take care of your customers. This isn’t to say that Marriott isn’t customer-focused. On the contrary, they focus a great deal on their customers. But the differentiating factor is that Marriott is also extremely focused on their employees. I’ve worked with this hotel chain for many years, and the passion and loyalty shown by Marriott employees—who are called “associates”—is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Why? Because the company consistently values their employees in clear, demonstrable ways.Remember, if you’re truly focusing on your employees as your foremost priority, that means you’re not leaving recruitment and retention up to HR. Instead, you’re dealing with it as a top executive issue.

 

3. Level with your employees.
   Many struggle to give honest feedback to employees. They fear that if the tougher conversations don’t go well, the employee might feel demotivated, or even attacked. But in my experience, it’s the exact opposite. Even in the rare cases that these interactions don’t go well, it’s highly unlikely that one conversation will break your relationship with an employee. In most cases, it will only help. And even if it hurts, it’s incredibly rare that it would cause the employee to leave the company.All employees need constructive feedback to help them grow. What’s critical to retention is giving the feedback—whatever it may be—so that employees can know where they stand. Plus, giving feedback shows that you care about your employees, and that they’re important to you. On the other hand, silence or lack of feedback is often misinterpreted as not caring—and as a result, your employees won’t feel important.When you have those difficult, honest conversations with one employee, it actually helps your relationships with other employees, too. Your employees are constantly doing what I like to call “boss-watching.” They’re observing how you interact with other employees, how you treat people, and how you take care of issues that arise. If your top employees notice that you’re not addressing key performance issues with their colleagues, they’ll lose faith in you—and they’ll potentially leave.As a client of mine recently put it, this creates “the rise of the mediocre”: Your best employees who can leave will leave; and only those who can’t leave will stay.

 

4. Invest in your ROE, return on employee.
   The best employees desire to grow in their careers. This is one of the top key motivators that drives human behavior in the workplace. We all want to know that our best years are in front of us, not behind us. No one wants to be stuck in a stagnant job. Leaders need to give guidance, invest in, and train their best employees. When people feel like they’re learning, they’re more motivated to stay in their jobs.One of the best ways to invest in your ROE is to invest in team-building activities that help your employees develop a deep understanding of each other. These initiatives help you “apply to glue” not only between your employees and your company mission, but also between individuals within your company. The closer your employees are to one another, the better they tend to work with each other. After all, people work best with those they know well and respect deeply.Investing in employees in this way is a powerful way to show them that they’re important. By investing in training and team-building activities for your employees, you not only help them learn new skills, but you also demonstrate your desire to help them grow in their careers. Take the time to distinguish your top, middle, and low performers, so you can invest in them appropriately.

 

5. Create deliberate attrition.
   One of the most powerful ways to prevent “the rise of the mediocre” is to create deliberate attrition of your lowest-performing employees. These are the workers who take up the most management time, contribute the least amount to the success of your company, and even drive your higher-performing workers away.Often, I coach executives on making personnel changes. For example, I once coached an executive who was spending way too much time trying to work with a direct report who just wasn’t a good fit. When the executive finally made the personnel move, he said, “I can’t believe I waited this long.” In all my years working with executives, I’ve never had an executive tell me they should have waited on a personnel move. In fact, it’s the opposite. They always wish they had made the move sooner.The U.S. military offers an interesting example with its use of an “up-or-out” system of promotion. If military employees are passed over for promotion a certain number of times, they’re required to leave. While this might sound extreme in the corporate world, it’s a worthwhile philosophy to explore. At the very least, you should be addressing those employees who are driving high-performers out of your company, just as you should address the company policies that add unneeded bureaucracy which leads to your best people leaving.

 

6. Dissolve the thermal layers.
   Every organization has “thermal layers” that not only block communication from traveling down the organization, but also prevent it from coming up. The best leaders and organizations figure out where those thermal layers are—and work to dissolve them. As a result, there’s a free flow of information up, down, and across the organization.A key element of your retention plan should be increasing communication flow throughout your company—not only down the organization, but also back up the organization, and across the organization. If you hear about potential issues that make things difficult for your employees, address them. Don’t make it challenging for your employees to communicate with leadership, and vice versa.For example, many companies make it difficult for employees to make decisions on their own, requiring that they get sign-offs from multiple people in leadership roles before moving forward. One of my own clients used to require several levels of approval from different managers for even the simplest expenditures. This demotivated employees and made them feel un-empowered to make simple decisions. After correcting this, morale dramatically improved, and company growth took off.If you spent some time at the lowest level of your organization today, would you hear messages that are new to you? If so, you have blockages in communication flow. There are many strategies that can help you discover and dissolve those blockages. If you send us an email at steven@stevengaffney.com and mention this article, we’ll send you a free e-book Guide to Increasing Communication Flow Up, Down, and Across Your Organization.

 

7. Let the crowd roar.
   This is simple: People need to feel important and appreciated for the job they do. Your employees want to know that their work counts. If you don’t make the time to tell your employees what you value in them, you’re going to have a big problem. We often fear that praising our employees will fill them up with too many compliments—and make them leave for greener pastures. But in reality, you’re more likely to retain talented employees if you openly appreciate the work they do.We all like to be around people who make us feel good about ourselves. So, think about how you leave your employees on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis—especially your high performers. If they don’t hear appreciation from you, they may not think you value them. So let the crowd roar.

As you consider all of this, here’s the major takeaway: Retention is not a backburner issue. It’s a critical issue that all leaders will soon be facing. If you wait to solve this problem, it will be too late to fix it without enormous cost, stress, and potential damage to your organization.

Instead, get ahead of the competition by rebooting your retention strategy today. Prioritize open, honest communication and create a culture that attracts the best performers to your organization.

You can outrun the coming tsunami—but you have to start now.

—

Links to research used:

https://www.inc.com/graham-winfrey/5-reasons-employees-leave-their-jobs.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/03/31/the-real-reason-good-employees-quit/#79eeade74b4e

https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2015/08/04/people-leave-managers-not-companies/#3107741747a9

http://fortune.com/2015/10/11/common-reasons-for-quitting-job/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-5-reasons-why-people-quit-bosses-jobs-maren-hogan

http://fortune.com/2015/04/02/quit-reasons/

https://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2015/04/02/what-do-workers-want-from-the-boss/?mod=e2tw

http://taskandpurpose.com/military-needs-abandon-promotion-boards/

https://www.thebalance.com/us-economic-outlook-3305669

The post The Great Retention Tsunami Is Coming: Reboot Your Strategy Before It’s Too Late appeared first on Steven Gaffney Company.

Ambiguity can also bring great opportunity – for those who see the possibilities. Our ability to manage, operate, and lead in an ambiguous environment separates the best from the rest on an individual and organizational level.

I am not saying clarity is a bad thing or that we should not strive for it. I am simply acknowledging that it is not always possible to achieve. Get clarity when you can, but when you cannot, choose to embrace the opportunities ambiguity creates for you to shine.

One key to coming out on top is to see the major benefit of ambiguity. Namely, it can serve as a forcing function that engages the mind. If everything is always clear-cut and provided for us, we can become lazy – on both an individual and organizational level. But when things are not clear, there are opportunities to forge new territories, stake one’s claim, make suggestions, and seize the moment. While some organizations are constantly in a reactive mode, waiting to see how the world is changing, what the economic trends specifically dictate, and what customers say they want, others are creating and shaping opportunities.

Look at Apple®. They did not wait until people said they wanted something like an iPad. Apple created it and now others are scrambling to get in on that market – a market Apple defined. In an ever-changing marketplace of technology, Apple continues to create products that generate demand. They are not tossed about by commonly perceived limitations or paralyzed in reactive mode awaiting clear instructions.

After all, even customers (internal customers included) want us to suggest innovative ideas and take initiative. We do that by uncovering hidden needs rather than simply reacting to what customers say they need. If a customer says they want X, we will usually give them X. Yet the value of ambiguity is that it forces us to probe, allowing us to find hidden needs and deliver what our customers truly desire.

This ability to chart your own course and not be dissuaded by common limitations can be the key to even individual success. If I had told you ten years ago that I was going to write a 500-page children’s book, you might have suggested I have my head examined. After all, children do not normally read that much, right? Yet look at the success J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series had with children. She looked beyond the preconceived limitations of children’s literature and saw an opportunity. In doing so, she pioneered the way for juvenile fantasy fiction.

Whether we are leading, managing, idea-generating, servicing customers, or creating new business, we should expect to do it in an often ambiguous and rapidly changing environment. That requires proactive rather than reactive behavior to seize the moment and take action.

One common syndrome we see in the workplace is the “Deer in the Headlights Syndrome,” and it is one of the most frequent complaints I hear from leaders. They say that employees are frozen – like a deer caught in the headlights – waiting for clear direction, rather than being proactive with ideas, suggestions, actions, and solutions. Books like Seth Godin’s Linchpin are now suggesting that people who are just waiting to be told what to do are often the most replaceable. In some industries they are even the ones whose jobs are being outsourced overseas.

It has never been more critical to meet ambiguity head-on and create new opportunities. The individuals who can do so in a quick, effective manner will increasingly become the go-to people, while the organizations that do so will come out on top time and again.

7 Strategies to Implement in an Ambiguous Environment 

Nearly twenty years of surveying the work environment of top governmental agencies and Fortune 500 organizations have shown me that with the right mentality and some key strategies, we can overcome the challenges of ambiguity and capitalize on the opportunities it presents. The following seven strategies can help you and your organization embrace those opportunities.

1. Eliminate Half-Baked Ideas. An ambiguous environment presents incredible opportunities. The way to seize those opportunities is by suggesting quality ideas that are well thought out. Some people mistakenly believe that others do not want to hear their ideas. They complain that they have tried making suggestions and their ideas were rejected. That may be, but ideas are often rejected because they are half-baked and the person hearing them lacks the time to shape and invest in those ideas. So whether or not the idea is inherently good, it is denied.

Interestingly, I have found we are often closer to getting a “yes” than we realize. Test it out. Next time you get a “no” to one of your ideas, ask, “What would you need to see to change your mind?” You may find that with a few adjustments you can get the “yes” you are looking for. Remember, those who create ideas are often the most valuable players, and they can thrive in ambiguous times.

2. Take the Reins. Move from seeking explicit direction from superiors to practicing self-management. As the great management consultant (and friend) Zemira Jones shared with me, the more people can self-manage – evaluate and make corrections — the more motivated and inspired they will be. Being free from the need to wait for constant approval allows quick and timely adjustments to be made, resulting in a tremendous time savings.

To effectively self-manage, it is critical to verify your roles, responsibilities, and goals. If they have not been communicated to you, be proactive in creating them yourself. Look around for information and data; then create your roles, responsibilities, and goals. Confirm all of it with those to whom you report and then move forward on them. Do not wait for goals and direction while opportunities pass you by. Instead, create, verify, and take action.

We cannot necessarily control our environment, but we can control how we respond to that environment. Choose to see the opportunities ambiguity creates rather than getting tied up in the challenges. Often by responding in an effective way, we can shape and affect the environment.

3. Use Influence, Not Authority. As we discussed, we often end up operating in a matrix environment, which means we need to do things more by persuasion than by directing and ordering. Even if we do have the authority, we want to stay away from exercising that authority in a heavy-handed way. Doing so may cause others to give us lip service and then slow roll the initiative, or resist us in other passive-aggressive ways.

The ability to influence others in an honest, non-manipulative, and effective manner is a crucial skill set in today’s complex world. One skill for improving your influence is building and maintaining rapport with others. Another important skill is addressing and resolving objections and hidden issues. If you can work on improving those two skills, then your ability to influence will continue to grow.

4. Get Clarity on the Non-Negotiables. Even in the most ambiguous, unclear environment, there are certain things that are non-negotiable – off the table. Our ability to gain clarity on those things can save tremendous time and resources. Nothing destroys motivation like spending time working on something that was actually non-negotiable from the start. Leaders who bring clarity about negotiable vs. non-negotiable can get extremely high returns from a workforce that focuses their ideas and actions on the negotiables.

5. Beware of Idea Killers. Watch out for statements like these: “We already know what they want”; “We know better”; “We tried that before”; and “That will never work.” Attitudes like these are idea killers, and they can leave your organization stagnant, allowing others to pass you by. The antidote to idea killers is to ask questions and dig for information. Do not assume your customers want what they have wanted in the past. Choose to probe and uncover hidden needs. This is a key to capitalizing on the opportunities in an ambiguous environment.

For more information on avoiding idea killers, please read my article on the “Power of Wrong”.

6. Reset Expectations. I am struck by how many people are waiting for change to stop and responsibilities to become clear. If this is happening, hit the reboot button and reset people’s expectations. Remind them that things will always be changing and that much will be unclear. For that reason, it makes sense to always be improving (and therefore tinkering with things). If we are not progressing, we are regressing.

The pace of change in today’s business environment demands constant improvement on an individual and organizational level. That means it is crucial to have the mindset that there is no such thing as the perfect solution. Often it is taking action that allows us to see how to make things better. Consider this: when was the last time you saw a plan that was executed the way it was designed? The truth is that no matter how well thought out our plans are, we will most likely need to make adjustments. Encourage everyone to expect change and embrace it.

7. Keep the Floodgates Open. One leader told me he actually likes ambiguity because it forces people to think and communicate. In the absence of being certain, people have to seek out others and talk with them. For that reason, an environment that encourages open, honest communication is a must in order for the other strategies to work. It is the foundation for capitalizing on ambiguity’s opportunities.

If staff is not willing to share issues and challenges or is not empowered to freely share ideas, then ambiguity’s opportunities cannot be seized. Open those floodgates by rewarding honest communication and encouraging staff to share problems and solutions. This will enhance creativity, make room for outside-the-box thinking, and improve teamwork – exactly what is needed in an ambiguous environment. The end result will be a boost to the bottom line.

For more information on how to achieve open, honest communication, please read my article “The 11 Most Costly Hidden Problems in the Workplace“.

The factors that contribute to ambiguity are here to stay. Ambiguity offers great opportunity to flourish – to lead the way in the ever-changing marketplace. Take the initiative and use the seven strategies to operate, excel, and lead in an ambiguous workplace.

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Part One: How to Defeat Troublesome Blindspots

• The “Four Walls” theory
• Encouraging debate, suggestions, and feedback
  
• Accepting and appreciating being wrong in a discussion

Part Two: How Not to be Too Customer-Focused, While Creating Excellent Customer Relationships.

• What customers are not saying – and evaluating their true needs
  
• The Confirmation Bias mindset – we’re all guilty!
  
• The priceless value of mentors and advisors

The post The 3 Biggest Mistakes Businesses Make appeared first on Steven Gaffney Company.

Source: Public Interest Podcast, http://www.publicinterestpodcast.com/2017/03/ep132-steven-gaffney.html

The post The Three Levels of Honesty appeared first on Steven Gaffney Company.

* * *

It was 9:00am on April 13, 2009. I was healthy. Or so I thought. By lunch time, I was not healthy. The roller coaster of life was about to take some major turns…

I was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

The doctor gave me an interesting perspective when he said, “If you have to have cancer, testicular cancer is a good one to have. It’s virtually 100% curable.”

On one hand, I felt extremely fortunate and relieved of the prognosis. However, on the other hand,  I was shocked. I had the BIG ‘C’.   Several thoughts ran through my head:

“Oh my God! This can’t be happening to me.”
“I never get sick.”
“No one in my family has had it.”
“Why me?”

Then I felt guilty for feeling sorry for myself. I tried to “motivational speak” myself into sucking it up and dealing with it.

Let’s fast forward to the end of this story. I was fortunate. My doctors caught it early. I had an operation. I went through nine weeks of chemotherapy treatment. As of today, just as my doctor predicted, I have a clean bill of health. While the BIG ‘C’ is gone, I have learned invaluable lessons that will stay with me forever.

Truth be told – before April 13th, 2009 – I lived like the Teflon Man. I had heard of many tough situations – health challenges, people passing, tough breakups, financial worries, and more – and thought, “Wow. That situation is so awful; so challenging. I feel so sad for that person.” But, after some time, I wouldn’t think too much about the situation and would continue on with my life.

On April 13th, 2009, the Teflon came off. What stuck, changed my life. I’ve outlined the lessons I learned from my experience. I truly hope these lessons will help you as you deal with life challenges.

Lesson 1:  The worst lies you ever tell are the lies you tell yourself.

I have been teaching strategies on how to use honesty to resolve issues and conflicts. As I reflect on my experiences, it took that single day in April for me to shed the Teflon and really get honest with myself.

Yes – I’m the president of my own company, an author of three books, and for nearly twenty years, a professional speaker who teaches people to use honest communication.  But, yet, as embarrassing as this is to admit, I had not been honest with myself.

I had been wasting time – years – thinking I needed to pay my dues before I could take the time to sit back and enjoy my life. I thought I could compensate for the time I was giving up. In other words, I thought that one day, it would all pay off. I always thought:

“One day,  I will spend more time with my loved ones.”
“One day, I will start a family.”
“One day, I will travel around the world.”

It was as if someone was keeping a ledger on my life. If I made enough deposits I could always cash it in later and reap the rewards – the other aspects of my life that I was missing.

Although the doctor did say my prognosis was virtually one hundred percent curable, I couldn’t help but think:

“What if that one day of pay off never comes?”
“What if it’s too late for my ‘I will do it later’ mentality?”
“What if those days to make good never come?”

Honestly, I was living as if time was in endless supply, even though I knew the fragility of health and life. I realized that I just didn’t get it.

Before my diagnosis, I was living as if others would be around when I was ready  to enjoy them… you know, when I fulfilled the goals I was working towards.

I felt silly and selfish for thinking this. After all, if I could have something like the BIG ‘C’, others could have a lot worse. And, the sad truth was, at least in some respects, it actually was too late. Some people were gone. It was too late to enjoy them. I missed the opportunity. Friends have moved on and were gone. My grandparents and several relatives were gone.  Vanished. Done.

Don’t wait until tomorrow to start living your life, make that one day be TODAY!

Lesson 2: Be responsible for what you say.

I would like to say that everything that came out of my mouth during this time was positive. But, alas, that would not be true. I made many mistakes in how I handled this situation. For example, after I had the realization of the number of doctor visits and potential issues that I might have to deal with, I was on the phone with a friend and made a flip, insensitive remark:

“Maybe I will just get hit by a bus. And then I won’t have to deal with all of this.”

I hung up the phone only to hear a loved one in the next room start crying and say, “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”  Ugh! Note to self: Don’t be selfish. Be responsible for what you say.

Lesson 3: In the absence of data, people make things up.

I knew if I withheld information about my cancer to my family and friends, they might make things up and would probably worry more. I decided to be as open as possible so they would be less likely to fill in the gaps.

I used this principle on myself. I realized that the Internet can be a great source of information. I also realized that it can be a source of misinformation and misinterpretation. When I did not know something, I stopped the speculation, guessing, and assumptions. Instead, I searched for someone ‘in the know’ who could answer my questions.

Lesson 4: When people are afraid they say and do silly things.

Chances are, when bad things happen, people don’t know what to say. So, often, they just don’t say anything.  At first I was hurt until I realized that there were times in my life that I had done exactly the same thing to other people.

Others did say things, but what they said did not always come out exactly right.  For example, some people shared about how I didn’t take care of myself or how I work too hard. In essence, they were saying – without coming right out – that somehow I brought this on myself. I wasn’t upset by this. I realized they were trying to rationalize how they could prevent this from happening to them. They were just afraid.

Some reacted to my situation by expressing their own worries. Or, I’d hear cancer horror stories they had heard. Others launched into “fix it” mode and started to lecture me on what I needed to do and how to eat better. Instead of wishing the situation were different, I took control of these conversations and simply responded with: “I understand.” And then, I redirected the conversation. I changed the topic using questions and/or I turned to something more positive. This way, I got the value of their contribution without having to dwell on the situation.

I realized that there are many people who are alone and have no one in their lives. I was very fortunate that I had people in my life who cared about me.

Lesson 5: Ask for what you want. People can’t read your mind.

People would inevitably ask me, “Is there anything I can do?” Most people are not honest with their answer and say, “Nothing.” I chose a different path. When people asked me that question, I was prepared and honest with my response. For example, I asked people to call and comfort my parents. I wanted to help reduce their stress and worry. How could people have known what I wanted if I wasn’t honest with them?  People aren’t mind readers. Be honest and clearly state your requests or desires.

Lesson 6: Besides the “official” patient, there are others who are affected by this disease that go untreated.

As the patient,  I was at the center of things. But, there were other patients – the loved ones. The loved ones are patients too. As I learned, family and friends often feel helpless. For the most part, all they can do is watch, pray, and hope things turn out well. To make matters worse they often store their emotions in an effort to stay strong. Here’s the irony: there’s great patient care but not enough care for the unofficial patients – the loved ones.

Lesson 7: Your perspective dictates your attitude.

Most of my doctors and nurses had great attitudes despite how sick and close to death some of the patients were. How could that be? I asked about this and learned that it was because they wanted to make a difference.  The doctors and nurses were in an environment that was gloomy. But, they chose to look at it as an opportunity to contribute.

As I received my chemo, I met patients – patients who were going to be fine, patients who were not sure, and patients where the end was inevitable. I knew my treatment was short and the outcome was not in doubt. This helped me keep perspective and be appreciative of how lucky I was. My grandfather’s words rang true, “Things can always be worse.” I received a heavy and hopefully life altering dose of medicine – keep the right perspective and appreciate my life.

Lesson 8: You don’t always have control over what happens to you. But, you do have 100% control in how you respond.

I realized I didn’t have control over this situation. It was what it was. I was 100% responsible for gleaning the value from my experience. I was brutally honest with myself. I became a lot closer to the people I should have been closer to all along. I became more spiritually connected. I appreciate my life, the people around me, and the work that I do in more ways and dimensions than ever before.  My Teflon shield is gone. My experience has helped me move from living the “One day I will…” to deciding that the “One day is today.”

As I half-jokingly and half-seriously said to a friend, “OK! If someone was trying to get my attention, they got it!”

* * *

This article was taken from a speech I gave at Penn State University’s “Relay for Life” Cancer Foundation benefit on April 9, 2010.

The post The Cancer Wake Up Call appeared first on Steven Gaffney Company.

Imagine a world in which Martin Luther King, Jr. had been nothing more than a preacher with a sizable congregation, Bill Gates was nothing more than an effective manager at an IT firm, and Oprah Winfrey just a newscaster at a Baltimore television station. Suppose Warren Buffet was nothing more than a man who managed his money well in order to provide a nice life for his family. We probably wouldn’t know their names, yet by most standards they would still be deemed successful.

Yet I believe that true success is the degree to which we reach our full potential. By that standard, Martin Luther King, Jr., Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Warren Buffet could not be called successful if they did not achieve what we all now know they were capable of. If they had been satisfied with comparing themselves favorably with others, they may have not been inspired to achieve what they achieved. Where would our society be without the contributions they have made? What would the landscape of twenty-first-century America look like without them?

Fortunately, they did not suffer what many people suffer from–Comparison Success Obstruction (CSO). People with this affliction compare themselves with others to gauge their own success. Those comparisons can sadly set us up for mediocrity. If Warren Buffet suffered from CSO, he could have taken a look at his neighbor and been satisfied with the idea of building a bigger house, purchasing a nicer car, and sending his children to better schools. Oprah Winfrey could have landed her job as a Baltimore newscaster, compared herself to friends and colleagues, and decided she was doing quite well just where she was.

Many organizations suffer from CSO. They even go so far as to benchmark their achievements against other organizations. Perhaps yours does this too. While benchmarking can produce some good results, it can also chain your organization to the common results of others—restraining you from catapulting beyond the competition and producing breakthrough results.

Comparing ourselves to the competition begs the question — so what? So what if you can move widgets faster than Widget Movers Express? So what if you are the leader in a certain technology? So what if you are the highest in retention? Are those reasons to be content? So what?

Maybe your organization has untold “Martin Luther King, Jr.,” potential. Maybe there is a life-changing discovery or invention lurking within your organization — within the minds of your employees. Maybe it is within you! But this is unlikely to happen as long as you or others around you suffer from CSO.

I once heard an interview with John Wooden, the famous UCLA basketball coach who won seven straight NCAA titles and nine titles in eleven years. The interviewer asked Wooden for his keys to success, and Wooden said that after each game – regardless of the score — he asked his players, did you play your best? Think about this. In professional sports, team dynasties result from an effective coach and a few outstanding players who are with the team year after year. But the make-up of teams in college basketball is constantly changing as new students join the team and others move on to graduate. But the changing roster didn’t hinder Coach Wooden. He built a dynasty in part by asking the ever-changing faces on his team, did you play your best?

Imagine if we were asked that on a daily basis. What would your answer be? Is it time to step it up, push ourselves, regardless of what others say? I think so. Not because we have to, not because there is something wrong, but because we can. After all, isn’t that what true success is all about?

That is why I believe we need to drop the judgments and comparisons with others. We need to stop looking behind us to see who is chasing us. Instead we need to run fast regardless of the others in the race and push ourselves to see what is possible. This is what striving for true success is all about.

Are you playing your best, or are you settling for what you think you can get rather than going for what you truly want? What are you willing to do about it? After all, the only person you can control is yourself. You cannot necessarily control what others do, but you are fully responsible for the way you respond and the actions you take to achieve the results you really want. Attaining perfection may be hard, but making progress is easy.

WARNING: If you choose to stop suffering from CSO and strive for what you can become, brace yourself and make sure you enjoy the ride, because there is an ironic twist that will come your way. The twist is that successful people often don’t think of themselves as particularly successful. If fact, the more successful they are, the more they recognize the gap between where they are and what they can become.

A while back, I saw a documentary about the incredible life and achievements of Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the many things that shocked me was that he was plagued by the thought that he had not yet done enough. Imagine that. As successful and accomplished as he was, he was not satisfied—not even close.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was chasing down a dream. He knew that there was always more to do. There was always more that he could expect of himself. He had a vision for the future, and that vision was not limited by comparisons or others’ expectations. True success is not about how we compare with others, but how we compare with what we truly can become.

Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Warren Buffet aren’t playing small either. They each have their own vision for the future, a vision that I would argue continues to expand as they achieve more and more. Who can they become? How about you? What dreams can you accomplish?

While others are fixated on comparing themselves with others or preoccupied with looking over their shoulders to make sure no one will overtake them, keep challenging yourself and those around you with what you can become.

Maybe there is “Martin Luther King, Jr.,-Bill Gates-Warren Buffet-Oprah Winfrey” potential in you and the people around you just waiting to be awakened and inspired. Think of the difference that that could make. It can begin now. It’s up to you.

Here is a 6-Step Formula to Start You on Your Journey:

1. Recognize you may be suffering from CSO, and do something about it. Throw away the comparisons. They limit your potential.

2. Create a vision for the future that is not a reaction to the past or a comparison with others in the present. Spend some time reflecting on what you believe you can become. Dream. Brainstorm. Use what if? What if we had nothing stopping us? What if we could really accomplish our ideal product or service? What if we had the perfect economy?

3. Avoid dream crushers, vision smashers, and naysayers. Don’t be hampered by low expectations – your own or anyone else’s. Instead, search for people who dream big and believe in themselves and in you.

4. Execute the next step. No matter how big the vision, no matter how daunting the task, ask yourself, “What is the next step?” Then do it.

5. At the end of each day, reflect and ask yourself, “Did I play my best? What can I do better tomorrow?” This attitude is the key to long-term success.

6. Build your support network. Share this article with others. Pass it to others who have remarkable potential. The fewer people who suffer from CSO, the easier it is for you and others to accomplish breakthrough results.

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1. Let go of the garbage that you are carrying. Reach out to someone you have written off (but still think about) or to someone you have given up on or with whom you had a problem. Talk to that person and do what it takes to reach some sort of resolution and put the situation behind you. Ask the other person, “What would it take for us to put this behind us?” Their input can help you create a solution that works for everyone. By reaching out and having a conversation, you are extending the olive branch. This can create a new beginning and trigger conversations and events that can ultimately change your life. Remember: forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.  Make this the year you give that gift.

2. Stop negotiating things that are not negotiable. Are you suffering because you are being flexible and letting go of standards and principles that are important to you? Decide what is negotiable versus what is really not negotiable to you. If you are not clear, how can others be? Then let others know and take a stand. Many people get inspired when boundaries are set because clarity gives them power to focus their time and energy on areas of flexibility.

3. Adopt accountability partners. What is one of your behaviors that you really want to change? The truth is that if you really want to achieve this change, you will. Set up accountability partners and consequences to help ensure that you will make that change. For example, if you find yourself repeatedly complaining about a particular issue and you want to stop being so negative, tell five people you are going to stop complaining about the issue. Every time you complain about it, give them each a dollar.  The point is to send a message that your promises are not empty and you are committed to changing the behavior. Being accountable is one of the most important ingredients in lasting change.

4. Use your strengths. Your relationship with yourself and your talents is the most important one you will ever have.  Appreciating yourself and your strengths is at the core of your ability to create and enjoy the life you want. When you appreciate yourself, you are also more likely to take action and make changes on things that are important to you. Focus on what makes you happy. Don’t overlook your talents and make sure to maximize your full potential. If you’re good at something, why not become great at it? This year, if you remember to appreciate yourself and foster your strengths, you will be more self-empowered and confident to face anything to come.

5. Choose a coach or mentor. Whether it is personal or professional, everyone benefits from someone who guides and advises them. Athletes don’t get better at their specific sports by simply playing on their own each day. They improve by employing a coach who challenges and inspires them to grow and achieve success. Athletes also don’t improve their skills by playing teams equal to or worse than they are. They advance the most quickly when they are challenged by a better team.  It is important for your mentor to be someone who may be wiser, more experienced, or more successful than you are to help you reach the goals you have.

6. Apply your personal method of success to a current problem. What is the biggest problem you are currently facing, professionally or personally? Once you’ve identified that problem, change gears and take a moment to remember a specific moment of success in your life. What were the keys to help you achieve that success? Brainstorm a few ideas of why you think you were able to be successful in achieving the results you wanted.  Over a person’s lifetime, we develop a few “go-to” methods to help us achieve success in various situations. Many times, in problem areas, if you think about it, you are usually not applying one of your normal success methods to help you through it.  Now, return to that original problem. Of the ideas you’ve brainstormed, which are you currently not doing to help you tackle this issue? Apply them and you will see new direction to help you resolve it.

7. Decide on your number-one goal and create a plan to achieve it. Make sure your goal is measurable and that there is a deadline for completion. You might think this is simple – and it is – but people often neglect to set clear goals or create so many that they do not accomplish any. I see this frequently with organizations that have so many goals that people do not know on which to focus. The result is they try to focus on many and often achieve little. Remember confusion causes delay and often failure. Clarity and focus gives us power and inspiration to achieve.

8. Distance yourself from the dream crushers, naysayers, and negative influences.  Just like we are what we eat, we are a product of the people with whom we spend our time with and the information we digest from them. With whom are you surrounding yourself? Are those people negative or are they inspiring to be around? What kind of books and materials are you reading? How much are you dwelling on negative news stories?  I am not suggesting that we put our heads in the sand. I am suggesting that we fill our minds with the influences that empower us.  Take the time to clean house.

If you run into challenges and need help or have questions along the way, send us an email at info@stevengaffney.com or give us a call at 703-241-7796 and we will do our best to help you.

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My grandfather lived in a nursing home during the last several years of his life. During one of my visits to see him, a nurse pulled me aside and told me what a great man my grandfather was. I appreciated that and asked her why she thought so. She said, “He is on of the only people here who consistently says thank you.”

That’s the power of thank you. They may be just two words in the English language, but those words mean so much to so many people. To this nurse, they meant everything.

Thank you. How often do your employees or co-workers hear those words? Many work extra hours, often for no additional money or benefit, and often without the benefit of hearing someone say thank you. Why do they do it? Because, like you, they want to make a difference in their jobs, and they want to contribute. In fact, through conducting seminars, I have learned that one of the biggest fears that people seem to have in common is the fear of dying without making a difference. We all want to know that our lives count, and we need to feel like we matter to someone. That’s what makes appreciation so powerful.

In fact, appreciation is so powerful that it affects the bottom line. People who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to remain in their jobs, making appreciation a key factor in employee retention. Furthermore, sincere expressions of appreciation open the lines of communication and improve teamwork because people tend to be more open with co-workers who appreciate the job they do. This makes people more likely to express ideas and feedback, which also positively affects the bottom line.

As managers and co-workers we often need to share difficult feedback and constructive criticism. But how often do we share positive feedback – praise for a job well done? I’m not talking about employee awards. Those have their place, but I’m talking about words. “Thank you, that was just what I was looking for.” “Thanks for the extra time that you put into this. I know you had to sacrifice some personal time.”

I heard from an employee of a Fortune 500 company who was recently nominated by her team for a formal award. She appreciates the nomination – particularly that the entire company received the text of her nomination. She said, “The public nature of it was quite validating. It doesn’t even matter if I receive the formal award. The initial nomination is enough. It makes me want to work harder and motivates me to want to invest myself more fully in what I do.” But she went on to say this: “Receiving acknowledgement from people throughout the year, in a less formal way, helps me to get through each day in a way that no amount of money could.”

When you express your appreciation, you are basically saying, “I notice you. You are important. You are significant. You are making a difference.” Acknowledging others comes with a wonderful side effect. When we express appreciation, we have to think positively, at least for that moment. The more we acknowledge and appreciate others, the more positive moments we have. Over time, that makes us feel better about those around us and about ourselves.

Developing an organizational culture of appreciation may sound like a lofty goal, but it’s worth the effort. Once it gets going, appreciation is contagious. It creates positive feelings in the person saying thanks and in the one receiving it.

Do you know anyone who has ever left a job (or a relationship) because they received too much appreciation? Of course not! Now think about the people you know who have left jobs – despite a good salary and benefits – because they didn’t feel appreciated for the work they did or failed to see how they made a difference. Managers often think a salary increase is what employees value most – and for some that may be the case – but for most, receiving appreciation is even more important.

Four Keys to Effective Appreciation

To ensure that your expressions of praise and appreciation have a significant impact, remember these four keys:

I = Immediate

Even if it is over the phone or via e-mail, express your appreciation immediately. Often we want to do something special to show our appreciation, but that can take time. It’s important to do something quickly, even if it is something small. You can always do something special later. If you don’t do something immediately, the person you appreciate may feel unappreciated. Seize the moment. Do it right away.

S = Specific

Make the acknowledgement specific. Rather than saying, “Thanks for all your help,” say, “Thanks for the detail you put into the report. It obviously took a tremendous amount of time and dedication.” Being specific adds importance and validity to the appreciation.

O = Often

Few people have ever suffered from too much appreciation, but many have suffered because there was not enough. Don’t be stingy. Offer it frequently, appropriately, and creatively.

S = Sincere

Say it only if you mean it. People are smart, and they can tell if you are faking it. A sincere expression of appreciation that comes from the heart is a powerful motivator.

Make It a Habit

There’s an exercise I sometimes do with my seminar attendees to help them practice the power of appreciation. I ask everyone to write down sincere compliments and “thank yous” for their co-workers. At first it feels like a silly game, but after a while people feel less awkward and begin to enjoy it. The exercise opens up lines of communication. During debriefing at the end of the seminar, people always talk about the unexpected results of this exercise. Some participants even save the notes of appreciation for years.

Many of us inherently understand the power of appreciation, but few of us practice it regularly. To successfully develop the habit of acknowledging others and expressing appreciation, ask everyone in your office to commit to appreciating five people a day for one month.

Sticky notes are a great way to express one’s appreciation. Remember ISOS. We all have them in our offices and all it takes is a quick note to say “thank you.” Adhere the note to a good report or memo you’ve just reviewed, or stick a note on your co-worker’s computer monitor or chair. However you do it, the note will always be received positively. People do save these notes and soon, you may even see these sticky-notes covering one’s office wall!

The Greatest Gift

Benjamin Disraeli said, “The greatest good you can do for another is not to share your riches, but to reveal theirs.” That is the job of any leader – of a family, of a team, of a department, or of a company. Reveal the riches in others by expressing appreciation for what you see. Remember to say thank you. The gift of appreciation is the greatest gift you can give. Tell someone today what a difference they have made in your life. Then watch the difference you make in theirs.

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